


Red Roses

by bamberse



Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Childhood Friends, Digital Art, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Misunderstandings, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:28:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24470581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bamberse/pseuds/bamberse
Summary: "I hate them."She heard the crack in his voice about the same time she felt her heart drop.(Written for my little sister's birthday)





	Red Roses

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Veronica (@chicken.tato)](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Veronica+%28%40chicken.tato%29).



"I hate them." 

His eyes burned. 

Luciel followed his gaze, past the hilt of a red sword, to the roses that beleaguered a statue of an eerily familiar man. It wound around and around the stone sculpture, like snakes…like chains. 

"I hate them." He repeated, his eyes wet with unwilling tears. 

She heard the crack in his voice about the same time she felt her heart drop. 

_'Is he…crying?'_

She had never seen him sad before. 

She could only recount the heat in his eyes. The almost permanent furrow of his brows. The glow of his smile.

But _this..._ was new. 

_'What do I- no, what would mum- no, what would dad do?'_

Her hands hovered over his shoulder, furling and unfurling. In the end, she bit down guiltily on her lip, as she settled her still trembling hand back to her chest. 

Luciel moved closer to his side, her knees wobbled and thumped into each other like a newborn deer. 

They weren't close enough to touch close, but close enough to be seen as comforting. It was clear to Luciel, though, that he had forgotten she was there.

Only the roses, the sword, and the statue consumed his eyes.

She glanced behind warily, exhaling a sigh of relief when she saw the still open exit of the garden alcove.

__Sucking in a quick breath, she straightened her back and began, "Azzy-"

_RRRRIP! SSHHLLIK! RRRRRIP!_

She could only gape in stunned silence when the normally free-spirited boy began desperately attacking the roses. 

He tore at them violently; she could hear his teeth gritting. It had her clawing at herself, anything to take her mind off that awful sound. 

Luciel was shaking like a leaf in a storm. Her arms hugged herself, as her eyes fleeted helplessly between the roses and her best friend. 

_DRIIP!_

Her gaze fell down. 

Blood? 

_BLOOD!_

That snapped Luciel out of her blank daze. 

__"Azzy! Stop! You're bleeding!"

His glazed-over eyes quickly came to focus when Luciel forcibly tore him from the vines. 

She stood firm between him and the obvious object of his distress. 

__"I'm serious, you need to stop...you're bleeding, really."

"Bleeding? Don't be-" 

The sneer that began morphed into shock. His eyes almost popped out his skull when he saw the angry red lines running in every direction, blood dripping out mercilessly. 

Luciel visibly winced at the sight. 

_'Has he never seen his own blood before-'_

The thought died, as quickly as it came, when she noticed how his shock twisted into abhorrent disgust. 

_'Ah.'_

And it was at that moment, she knew…

_'He doesn't hate the roses...'_

It was the **red.**

Red, like her scorching red hair. 

Red, like her luminous red eyes. 

Red, like her favourite red shoes. 

Red, like her red nails. 

Red, like her. 

_She was_ **_Red._ **

Her throat tightened painfully. 

The weight of truth was unbearable. It was suffocating. It was loud. It came in hot aches, and fast flashes of past memories that now all made sense. 

Everything was re-contextualising itself in her mind. It was maddening. 

His pain; her blissful ignorance. 

_'How could I have been so blind?'_

__"Azzy, I'm-" _sorry._

Her mouth clamped shut. If she acknowledged this, would he still love her? Would he stay? Or would he...

Her eyes drifted back to the statue, grimacing as she saw how the roses began to twist and turn, regrowing with as much rage as Azzy had used to tear them apart. 

_Sigh._

Luciel's head snapped back to Azzy. 

"I'm going to go wash off," he whispered, so hollow and empty. 

She could almost taste the grief on her tongue. She didn't understand why he was in so much pain, she only knew that it made her sick. 

She numbly nodded, watching with despondent eyes at his shrinking figure. 

__"I'm such an idiot!" She spat, so angry with herself.

How could she call herself his best friend when…when she hadn't even known he had hated ' _red_ ' so much that he…

She had thought it was just a colour he didn't like, but now she knew better. His pain ran deeper, that much was clear. 

She didn't want to leave this place with only bad memories. 

She wanted to bring a smile to his face. 

  
  


**．**

**．**

**．**

**．**

**．**

**．**

__"Do you like it?"

"Like what-" 

His jaw dropped at the sight, words forgotten. 

The stature no longer bore signs of red; it was gold. 

Gold, like him. 

Gold, like his _dad._

Gold, like his **_everything._ **

He whipped his head back to Luciel, the now, only red thing on the premise.

"Why, how- Lu, I-" 

He- he didn't know what to say. 

He didn't like her red…he hated it…he had wanted her to know...wanted her to know how much he loathed the sight of her...but…that was before...now...it was different...he...

Unceremoniously, he gaped like a fish out of water when she shoved a single gold-painted rose into his unsteady hands.

__"Just a thank you would suffice," she grinned, rocking on the balls of her feet.

"I- this…thank you." He finished lamely, gripping the golden rose tight in one hand. 

She seemed ecstatic, not even hearing his _'wait'_ , before scampering off to get more paint, leaving him dazed and confused. 

All the while, a weird, fluttery feeling grew in the pit of his belly. 

"..." 

He looked back down at the golden rose in his hand, brows furrowing at the weird tingling warmth that flushed through his whole body. 

Running his thumb across its petals, he smudged some of its paint off, letting the red seep through.

His gaze wandered back up to the almost vanished figure of the strange red child, who was thinking of troublesome things, no doubt.

He threw the crushed up golden rose away, his eyes drawn to the half red, half gold petal as it fell. 

He smiled. 

"I guess…it's not so bad." 

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Hi hi! This is my first one shot that I've decided to post (I got a lot of courage from my lil sis who I made this for)! It's been so long since I last wrote something from start to finish, so please keep that in mind (◡‿◡✿) 
> 
> If you like my art, you can see more on my social media! (☞ﾟ∀ﾟ)☞ @bamberse ♥♥ 
> 
> All kudos, comments and subcribes are much appreciated! (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧


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